Editing Hardcore punk (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Bad brains 1983.jpg|215px|thumb|left|Bad Brains at 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C., 1983]]

Hardcore historian [[Steven Blush]] credits [[Minor Threat]]'s [[Ian MacKaye]] with starting a "die-hard mindset that begat almost everything we now call Hardcore", which was virulently anti-music industry and anti-[[wikt:rockstar|rock star]].<ref name="Greenroom"/> An article in ''[[Drowned in Sound]]'' argues that late 1970s/early 1980s-era hardcore is the true spirit of punk, because "all the [[poseur]]s and fashionistas fucked off to the next trend of [[skinny tie|skinny pink ties]] with [[New Romantic]] haircuts, singing wimpy lyrics" and the punk scene now consisted of people like Minor Threat, [[Bad Brains]], [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]], and [[Circle Jerks]], dedicated to the DIY ethics.<ref>{{cite web |last=Symonds |first=Rene |url=http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/2307017 |title=Features – Soul Brothers: DiS meets Bad Brains |publisher=Drowned in Sound |date=August 16, 2007 |access-date=February 12, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011095854/http://drownedinsound.com/articles/2307017 |archive-date=October 11, 2008 }}</ref>
Other writers have also attributed hardcore to a reaction against artsy and mellower sub-genres that punk grew into, such as [[post-punk]] and [[New wave music|new wave]].<ref name=Rebelwit/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/what-does-hardcore-mean-in-different-music-genres-4169502 |title=What Does 'Hardcore' Mean In Different Music Genres? |last=Westhoff |first=Ben |date=October 15, 2013 |website=Laweekly.com |publisher=LA Weekly |access-date=June 13, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817041452/http://www.laweekly.com/music/what-does-hardcore-mean-in-different-music-genres-4169502 |archive-date=August 17, 2017 }}</ref> Hardcore punk additionally broke with original punk rock song patterns and visuals, favoring lower-key aesthetics.<ref name=kuhnvolution/> According to Eli Enis of [[Billboard magazine|''Billboard'' magazine]], hardcore shows are known to be violent.<ref name=":0" /> In 2002, during an interview with [[Nardwuar]], [[Dead Kennedys]] singer [[Jello Biafra]] was asked what he believed to be the first hardcore record, he remarked: "Sound Of Imker ''Train of Doomsday'' single in the late '60s in Holland. The only true '60s hardcore record I know."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nardwuar Vs. Jello Biafra: New Introduction by Kristen K.: Originally ran in Razorcake #08, 2002 By Nardwuar – Razorcake |url=https://razorcake.org/archive-nardwuar-vs-jello-biafra-new-introduction-by-kristen-k-originally-ran-in-razorcake-08-2002/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Musical elements===
One definition of the genre is "a form of exceptionally harsh punk rock".<ref>The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.</ref> Hardcore has been called a faster, meaner genre of punk rock, that was a stern refutation against it,<ref name="auto2"/> being more primal and immediate, with speed and aggression as the starting point.<ref name="Greenroom" />

In the vein of earlier punk rock, most hardcore punk bands have followed the traditional singer/guitar/bass/drum format. The song-writing has more emphasis on [[rhythm]] rather than [[melody]]. Blush writes "The [[Sex Pistols]] were still rock'n'roll...like the craziest version of [[Chuck Berry]]. Hardcore was a radical departure from that. It wasn't verse-chorus rock. It dispelled any notion of what songwriting is supposed to be. It's its own form."<ref name="blush">{{cite magazine |last=Blush |first=Steven |title=Move Over My Chemical Romance: The Dynamic Beginnings of US Punk |magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |date=January 2007}}</ref> According to [[AllMusic]], the overall blueprint for hardcore was playing louder, harder and faster.<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web |author=Pop/Rock – Punk/New Wave – Hardcore Punk |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/hardcore-punk-ma0000002641 |title=Hardcore Punk &#124; Significant Albums, Artists and Songs |website=AllMusic |access-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605132203/http://www.allmusic.com/style/hardcore-punk-ma0000002641 |archive-date=June 5, 2014 }}</ref> Hardcore was a reaction to the "cosmopolitan art-school" style of [[new wave music]].<ref name="auto4">Williams, Sarah. "Hardcore". In ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music Volume 8: North America''. Edited by John Shepherd and David Horn. p. 257-260</ref> Hardcore "eschew[ed] nuance, technique, [and] the [[avant-garde]]", and instead emphasized "speed and rhythmic intensity" using unpredictable song forms and abrupt tempo changes.<ref name="auto4"/>

The impact of powerful volume is important in hardcore. ''Noisey'' magazine describes one hardcore band as "an all-encompassing, full-volume assault" in which "[e]very instrument sounds like it's competing for the most power and highest volume".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/progression-through-unlearning-snapcases-timeless-hardcore-classic-turns-20/ |title='Progression Through Unlearning,' Snapcase's Timeless Hardcore Classic, Turns 20 |last=Ozzi |first=Dan |date=March 31, 2016 |website=noisey.vice.com |publisher=Noisey |access-date=June 26, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041132/https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/qk9mwp/progression-through-unlearning-snapcases-timeless-hardcore-classic-turns-20 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 }}</ref> Scott Wilson states that the hardcore of the [[Bad Brains]] emphasized two elements: "off-the-charts" loudness which reached a level of threatening, powerful "uncompromising noise" and rhythm, in place of the typically focused-on elements in mainstream rock music, harmony and pitch (i.e., [[melody]]).<ref>Wilson, Scott A. ''Music at the Extremes: Essays on Sounds Outside the Mainstream''. McFarland, 2015. p. 40</ref>

Hardcore vocalists often shout,<ref name="allmusic.com"/> [[screaming (music)|scream]] or [[chant]] along with the music, using "vocal intensity"<ref name="auto3">Malory, Curry and Pena, Milagros. ''Punk Rockers' Revolution: A Pedagogy of Race, Class, and Gender''. Peter Lang, 2004. p. 56</ref> and an abrasive tone.<ref name="auto4"/> The shouting of hardcore vocalists is often accompanied by audience members who are singing along, making the hardcore vocalist like the "leader of a mob" commonly known as "gang vocals".<ref name="auto3"/> Steven Blush describes one early Minor Threat show where the crowd was singing the lyrics so loud they could be heard over the PA system.<ref>''American Hardcore (Second Edition): A Tribal History''. p. 158</ref> Hardcore vocal lines are often based on minor scales<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/3080250/The_Rage_and_the_Impact_An_Analysis_of_American_Hardcore_Punk Kortepeterp, Derek, ''The Rage and the Impact: An Analysis of American Hardcore Punk''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505085405/http://www.academia.edu/3080250/The_Rage_and_the_Impact_An_Analysis_of_American_Hardcore_Punk |date=May 5, 2017 }}, p. 12</ref> and songs may include shouted [[background vocals]] from the other band members. Hardcore lyrics expressed the "frustration and political disillusionment" of youth who were against 1980s-era [[affluence]], [[consumerism]], greed, Reagan politics and authority.<ref name="auto4"/> The polarizing sociopolitical messages in hardcore lyrics (and outrageous on-stage behaviour) meant that the genre garnered no mainstream popularity.<ref name="auto4"/>

In hardcore, guitarists frequently play fast [[power chords]] with a heavily [[distortion (music)|distorted]] and amplified tone, creating what has been called a "buzzsaw" sound.<ref>Steven Blush. ''American Hardcore: A Tribal Tradition''. Feral House, 2001. p. 151</ref> Guitar parts can sometimes be complex, technically versatile, and rhythmically challenging.<ref name="academia.edu">{{cite web |last=Kortepeter |first=Derek |url=https://www.academia.edu/3080250 |title=Kortepeterp, Derek, ''The Rage and the Impact: An Analysis of American Hardcore Punk'' |publisher=Academia.edu |access-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321060634/http://www.academia.edu/3080250/The_Rage_and_the_Impact_An_Analysis_of_American_Hardcore_Punk |archive-date=March 21, 2015 }}</ref> Guitar melody lines usually use the same minor scales used by vocalists (although some solos use [[pentatonic]] scales).<ref name="academia.edu"/> Hardcore guitarists sometimes play [[Guitar solo|solos]], [[octave]] leads and [[Groove (music)|grooves]], as well as tapping into the various [[audio feedback|feedback]] and [[harmonic]] noises available to them. There are generally fewer guitar solos in hardcore than in mainstream rock, because solos were viewed as representing the "excess and superficiality" of mainstream commercial rock.<ref name="auto4"/>

Hardcore [[bass guitar|bassists]] use varied rhythms in their [[bassline]]s, ranging from longer held notes (whole notes and half notes) to quarter notes, to rapid eighth note or sixteenth note runs. To play rapid bass lines that would be hard to play with the fingers, some bassists use a pick.<ref name="academia.edu" /> Some bassists play [[fuzz bass]] by [[distortion (music)|overdriving]] their bass tone.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://epitaph.com/news/article/nate-newton-of-converge-featured-on-bassplayercom |title=NATE NEWTON OF CONVERGE FEATURED ON BASSPLAYER.COM |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 10, 2005 |website=epitaph.com |publisher=Epitaph |access-date=June 12, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330211204/http://epitaph.com/news/article/nate-newton-of-converge-featured-on-bassplayercom |archive-date=March 30, 2018 }}</ref>

Hardcore drumming, typically played fast and aggressively, has been called the "engine" and most essential element of the genre's aggressive sound of "unrelenting anger".<ref name="GU">{{Cite web|url=http://www.straightandalert.com/articles/dynamics-hardcore-drumming/|title=The dynamics of hardcore drumming – Straight & Alert|work=Straight & Alert |date=June 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622202645/http://www.straightandalert.com/articles/dynamics-hardcore-drumming/|access-date=September 5, 2020|archive-date=June 22, 2017}}</ref> Two other key elements for hardcore drummers are playing "tight" with the other musicians, especially the bassist (this does not mean metronomic time; indeed, coordinated tempo shifts are used in many important hardcore albums) and the drummer should have listened to a lot of hardcore, so that they can understand the "raw emotions" it expresses.<ref name=GU/> [[Lucky Lehrer]], the drummer and co-founder of the [[Circle Jerks]] in 1979, was an early developer of hardcore drumming; he has been called the "Godfather of hardcore drumming" and ''[[Flipside (fanzine)|Flipside]]'' zine calls him the best punk drummer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.axs.com/interview-punk-icon-lucky-lehrer-talks-music-and-mary-jane-part-two-109013 |title=Interview: Punk icon Lucky Lehrer talks music and Mary Jane [marijuana], Part Two |last=Rose |first=Rustyn |date=October 28, 2016 |website=Axs.com |publisher=AXS |access-date=June 26, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612225441/https://www.axs.com/interview-punk-icon-lucky-lehrer-talks-music-and-mary-jane-part-two-109013 |archive-date=June 12, 2017 }}</ref> According to Tobias Hurwitz, "[h]ardcore drumming falls somewhere between the straight-ahead rock styles of old-school punk and the frantic, warp-speed bashing of thrash."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hurwitz |first1=Tobias |date=1999 |title=Punk Guitar Styles: The Guitarist's Guide to Music of the Masters |pages=32 |publisher= WAlfred Music Publishing}}</ref> Some hardcore punk drummers play fast [[D-beat]] one moment and then drop tempo into elaborate musical [[Break (music)|breakdowns]] in the next. Drummers typically play eighth notes on the cymbals, because at the tempos used in hardcore, it would be difficult to play a smaller subdivision of the beat.<ref name="academia.edu"/>

===Dancing===
{{Further|Moshing}}
[[File:TH - Mosh Pit (5370150223).jpg|215px|thumb|right|Audience members moshing to [[Toxic Holocaust]]]]

The early 1980s hardcore punk scene developed [[slam dancing]] (also called moshing), a style of [[dance]] in which participants push or slam into each other, and [[stage diving]]. Moshing works as a vehicle for expressing anger by "represent[ing] a way of playing at violence or roughness that allowed participants to mark their difference from the banal niceties of middle-class culture".<ref name=BRMartin>{{Cite book|last=Martin|first=Bradford|date=March 1, 2011|title=The Other Eighties: A Secret History of America in the Age of Reagan|publisher=Macmillan|page=111|isbn=9781429953429}}</ref> Moshing is in another way a "[[parody]] of violence",<ref name=PTWilliams/><ref>Palmer, Craig T. (Spring 2005). "Mummers and Moshers: Two Rituals of Trust in Changing Social Environments." Retrieved November 29, 2014</ref> that nevertheless leaves participants bruised and sometimes bleeding.<ref name=PTWilliams>{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=J. Patrick|date=April 17, 2013|title=Subcultural Theory: Traditions and Concepts|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|page=111|isbn=9780745637327}}</ref> The term ''mosh'' came into use in the early 1980s American hardcore scene in Washington, D.C. A performance by [[Fear (band)|Fear]] on the 1981 [[Halloween]] episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' was cut short when moshers, including [[John Belushi]] and members of a few hardcore punk bands, invaded the stage, damaged studio equipment and used profanity.<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p4240|label=Fear}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.culturebully.com/fear-on-saturday-night-live-and-ian-mackaye |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090701195213/http://www.culturebully.com/fear-on-saturday-night-live-and-ian-mackaye |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 1, 2009 |title=Fear on SNL and Ian MacKaye |work=culturebully.com |date=March 1, 2006 }}</ref>

===Fashion===
Many North American hardcore punk fans adopted a dressed-down style of [[T-shirt]]s, [[jeans]] or work [[Chino cloth|chinos]], [[combat boot]]s or [[sneakers]], and [[crew cut]]-style haircuts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gq.com/story/turnstile-hardcore-concert-style|title=Here's What Kids Wore to See the New Reigning Kings of Hardcore|date=October 31, 2016}}</ref> Women in the hardcore scene typically wore army pants, band T-shirts and hooded sweatshirts.<ref name="BrockmeierxDUO p. 12">{{cite web |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/26264/BrockmeierxDUO.pdf?sequence=1 |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102213941/https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/26264/BrockmeierxDUO.pdf?sequence=1 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 }} Brockmeier, Siri C., ''"Not Just Boys' Fun?": The Gendered Experience of American Hardcore'', MA Thesis in American Studies Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages ILOS (Universitet I Oslo, 2009) p. 12</ref> The clothing style was a reflection of hardcore ideology, which included dissatisfaction with suburban America and the hypocrisy of American culture. It was essentially a deconstruction of American fashion staples—ripped jeans, holey T-shirts, torn stockings for women, and work boots.<ref name=FordeThompson>{{Cite book|last=Thompson|first=William Forde|date=August 12, 2014|title=Music in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Encyclopedia|publisher=SAGE Publications|page=500|isbn=9781452283029}}</ref>

[[File:MUSIC Negative Approach.jpg|225px|thumb|left|[[Negative Approach]] in T-shirts at a 2013 show]]
The style of the 1980s hardcore scene contrasted with the more provocative fashion styles of late 1970s punk rockers. Siri C. Brockmeier writes that "hardcore kids do not look like punks", since hardcore scene members wore basic clothing and short haircuts, in contrast to the "embellished leather jackets and pants" worn in the punk scene.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/26264/BrockmeierxDUO.pdf?sequence=1 |title=Archived copy |access-date=May 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102213941/https://www.duo.uio.no/bitstream/handle/10852/26264/BrockmeierxDUO.pdf?sequence=1 |archive-date=November 2, 2013 }} p. 11</ref> Lauraine Leblanc, however, claims that the standard hardcore punk clothing and styles included torn jeans, leather jackets, spiked armbands, dog collars, [[mohawk hairstyle]]s, DIY ornamentation of clothes with studs, painted band names, political statements, and patches.<ref>Leblanc, Lauraine, ''Pretty in Punk: Girls' Gender Resistance in a Boys' Subculture''. (Rutgers University Press, 1999), p. 52</ref> Tiffini A. Travis and Perry Hardy describe the look that was common in the San Francisco hardcore scene as consisting of biker-style leather jackets, chains, studded wristbands, multiple piercings, painted or tattooed statements (e.g., an anarchy symbol) and hairstyles ranging from military-style haircuts dyed black or blonde to mohawks and shaved heads.<ref>Travis, Tiffini A. and Perry Hardy, ''Skinheads: A Guide to an American Subculture'' (ABC-CLIO, 2012), p. 123 (section entitled "From San Francisco Hardcore Punks to Skinheads")</ref>

[[Circle Jerks]] frontman [[Keith Morris]] wrote: "[Punk] was basically based on English fashion. But we had nothing to do with that. Black Flag and the Circle Jerks were so far from that. We looked like the kid who worked at the gas station or sub. shop."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizinemag.com/music/music-0303_kmorris.htm |title=CITIZINE Interview – Circle Jerks' Keith Morris (Black Flag, Diabetes) |publisher=Citizinemag.com |date=February 17, 2003 |access-date=December 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006082011/http://www.citizinemag.com/music/music-0303_kmorris.htm |archive-date=October 6, 2011 }}</ref> [[Henry Rollins]] stated that for him, getting dressed up meant putting on a black shirt and some dark pants; taking an interest in fashion as being a distraction.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m.complex.com/style/2013/04/29-things-you-didnt-know-about-punk-style/hardcore-punk |title=Hardcore Punk &#124; Complex |work=Complex |publisher=M.complex.com |access-date=August 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103052848/http://m.complex.com/style/2013/04/29-things-you-didnt-know-about-punk-style/hardcore-punk |archive-date=November 3, 2013 }}</ref> [[Jimmy Gestapo]] from [[Murphy's Law (band)|Murphy's Law]] describes his own transition from dressing in a punk style (spiked hair and a bondage belt) to adopting a hardcore style (shaved head and boots) as being based on needing more functional clothing.<ref name="BrockmeierxDUO p. 12"/>

Skateboard culture, streetwear, and workwear are also major influences on clothing worn by participants in both past and present eras of hardcore.<ref>"What 1990s Skate Punks Can Teach Us About Style." What 1990s Skate Punks Can Teach Us About Style | The Journal, https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/journal/fashion/tribute-1990s-skate-punk-style-inspiration-1253988.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-09-17 |title=How skateboarding changed popular culture |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2018/09/17/how-skateboarding-changed-popular-culture |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Guide |language=en}}</ref>

===Politics===
{{See also|Punk ideologies}}
Music writer [[Barney Hoskyns]] attributed hardcore being younger, faster and angrier than punk rock, to adolescents who were sick of their life in a "bland [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]" America.<ref name="auto1"/> Hardcore punk lyrics often express [[Anti-establishment|antiestablishment]], [[Antimilitarism|antimilitarist]], [[Anti-authoritarianism|antiauthoritarian]], [[Pacifism|antiviolence]], and pro-[[environmentalist]] sentiments, in addition to other typically [[left-wing]], [[anarchist]], or [[egalitarianism|egalitarian]] political views. During the 1980s, the subculture often rejected what was perceived to be "[[yuppie]]" [[materialism]] and [[Interventionism (politics)|interventionist]] American foreign policy.<ref name=PTWilliams/> Numerous hardcore punk bands have taken [[far-left politics|far-left]] political stances, such as [[anarchism]] or other varieties of [[socialism]], and in the 1980s expressed opposition to political leaders such as then US president [[Ronald Reagan]] and British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]]. Reagan's economic policies, sometimes dubbed [[Reaganomics]], and [[social conservatism]] were common subjects for criticism by hardcore bands of the time.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://nestorindetroit.com/Music%20Rants/reagan.htm |title=Reagan |url-status=dead |work= nestorindetroit.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071213061842/http://nestorindetroit.com/Music%20Rants/reagan.htm |archive-date= December 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-date= July 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711214651/http://www.house.gov/jec/growth/taxpol/taxpol.htm|url=http://www.house.gov/jec/growth/taxpol/taxpol.htm |title=Tax Policy, Economic Growth and American Families |work= [[house.gov]] |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |date= July 20, 1995 |access-date= December 4, 2011}}</ref> [[Jimmy Gestapo]] of [[Murphy's Law (band)|Murphy's Law]], however, endorsed Reagan and even went as far to call then former president [[Jimmy Carter]] a "pussy" in a 1986 ''[[New York Magazine]]'' cover story.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deeplinking.net/media/NYMHC.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=September 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055829/http://www.deeplinking.net/media/NYMHC.pdf |archive-date=September 21, 2013 }}</ref> Shortly after Reagan's death in 2004, the ''[[Maximumrocknroll]]'' radio show aired an episode composed of anti-Reagan songs by early hardcore punk bands.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://radio.maximumrocknroll.com/deadreagan/ |title= Maximum Rocknroll Radio · Dead Reagan Special |publisher= Radio.maximumrocknroll.com |date= June 6, 2004 |access-date= December 4, 2011 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120309061926/http://radio.maximumrocknroll.com/deadreagan/ |archive-date= March 9, 2012 }}</ref>

Certain hardcore punk bands have conveyed messages sometimes deemed "[[politically incorrect]]" by placing offensive content in their lyrics and relying on stage antics to shock listeners and people in their audience. Boston band [[The F.U.'s]] generated controversy with their 1983 album, ''My America'', whose lyrics contained what appeared to be conservative and patriotic views. Its messages were sometimes taken literally, when they were actually intended as a parody of conservative bands.<ref>{{Cite book|title = American Hardcore|last = Blush|first = Steven|publisher = Feral House|year = 2001|isbn = 9781932595895|location = USA|pages = 186}}</ref> Another act from Massachusetts, Vile, were known to insult women, minorities and gay people in their lyrics and would even go as far as putting their albums on the windshields of people's cars.<ref>{{Cite web|url =http://www.killfromtheheart.com/bands.php?id=705|title =Vile Kill From The Heart Page|website =Kill From The Heart|url-status =usurped|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20151120115333/http://www.killfromtheheart.com/bands.php?id=705|archive-date =November 20, 2015}}</ref> On the other hand, [[Tim Yohannan]] and the influential punk rock fanzine ''[[Maximumrocknroll]]'' were criticized by some punks for acting as the "politically correct scene police",<ref>{{Cite magazine|title = Maximum Rocknroll: Kick-Ass Photos From Iconic Punk Mag|url = https://www.wired.com/2010/05/gallery-maximum-rocknroll/|magazine = WIRED|access-date = October 19, 2015|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150925060611/http://www.wired.com/2010/05/gallery-maximum-rocknroll/|archive-date = September 25, 2015}}</ref> having what was perceived to be "a very narrow definition of what fits into Punk", apparently being "authoritarian and trying to dominate the scene" with their views.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n-93CAAAQBAJ&q=maximum%2520rock%2520n%2520roll%2520politically%2520correct&pg=PT102|publisher = Microcosm Publishing|date = November 29, 2014|isbn = 9781621062783|first = Stephen|last = Duncombe}}</ref>

During the 2001–2009 United States presidency of [[George W. Bush]], it was not uncommon for hardcore bands to express [[Public image of George W. Bush|anti-Bush]] messages. During the [[2004 United States presidential election]], several hardcore punk artists and bands were involved with the anti-Bush political activist group PunkVoter.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Swanson |first=David |title=Punk Rockers Invade Iowa |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/punk_rockers_invade_iowa.html |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 14, 2004 |access-date=March 31, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105125232/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/punk_rockers_invade_iowa.html |archive-date=November 5, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013052122/http://www.punkvoter.com/about/about_members.php |url=http://www.punkvoter.com/about/about_members.php |publisher=[[Internet Archive]] |work=punkvoter.com |title=About Punkvoter.com: Members}}</ref> A minority of hardcore musicians have expressed [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] views, such as the band [[Antiseen]], whose guitarist Joe Young ran for public office as a [[Libertarian Party of North Carolina|North Carolina Libertarian]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Cotton |first=Quinn |url=http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/rocked_by_the_vote/Content?oid=340 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130408213401/http://charlotte.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/rocked_by_the_vote/Content?oid=340 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 8, 2013 |title=Rocked By The Vote &#124; News &#124; Creative Loafing Charlotte |publisher=Charlotte.creativeloafing.com |date=November 17, 2001 |access-date=December 4, 2011 }}</ref> Former Misfits singer [[Michale Graves]] appeared on an episode of ''[[The Daily Show]]'', voicing support for George W. Bush, on behalf of the [[Conservative Punk]] website, and in 2023 testified on behalf of the [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[Proud Boys]] during their [[sedition]] trial for their role in [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|attacking the U.S. Capitol]] on January 6, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.punknews.org/article/9560 |title=Brendan Kelly, Michael Graves Daily Show footage online |date=June 29, 2004 |publisher=Punknews.org |access-date=December 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125111141/http://www.punknews.org/article/9560 |archive-date=November 25, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lynch |first=Sarah N. |date=March 20, 2023 |title=Punk rock singer testifies on Proud Boys' behalf at sedition trial |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/punk-rock-singer-testifies-proud-boys-behalf-sedition-trial-2023-03-20/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=Reuters}}</ref>

===Demographics===
While the early hardcore scene was mostly young white males, both onstage and in the audience,<ref>Williams, Sarah. "Hardcore". In ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music Volume 8: North America''. Edited by John Shepherd and David Horn. p. 257</ref><ref>Butz, Konstantin. ''Grinding California: Culture and Corporeality in American Skate Punk''. Verlag, 2014. p. 94/</ref> there are notable exceptions. Black musicians include Bad Brains, Fred "Freak" Smith of [[Beefeater (band)|Beefeater]],<ref>Jason Pettigrew, et al. "These Black Artists Built the Foundation of Rock Music as We Know It." Alternative Press, June 4, 2020, {{cite web| url = https://www.altpress.com/features/essential-black-artists-in-music./| title = These black artists built the foundation of rock music as we know it| website = [[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]| date = June 4, 2020}}</ref> [[Dead Kennedys]] drummer [[D.H. Peligro]], and [[Scream (band)|Scream]] bassist [[Skeeter Thompson]].<ref>Folgar, Abel. "A Rainy but Punk Rock Martin Luther King Jr. Day." New Times Broward-Palm Beach, 4, March 11, 2021, {{cite web| url = https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/a-rainy-but-punk-rock-martin-luther-king-jr-day-6415747| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210802094731/https://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/a-rainy-but-punk-rock-martin-luther-king-jr-day-6415747| url-status = dead| archive-date = August 2, 2021| title = Broward Palm Beach New Times {{!}} The Leading Independent News Source in Broward-Palm Beach, Florida}}</ref> Numerous Black and Latino members have been in the band [[Suicidal Tendencies]], including [[Mike Muir]], [[Rocky George]], R.J. Herrera, Louiche Mayorga, [[Robert Trujillo]], [[Thundercat (musician)|Thundercat]], [[Dean Pleasants]], Ra Díaz, [[Dave Lombardo]], Eric Moore, Tim "Rawbiz" Williams, [[David Hidalgo Jr.]], and [[Ronald Bruner Jr.]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suicidal Tendencies Are Still Punk as Fuck (Whatever That Means) |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/suicidal-tendencies-still-cyco-punk-after-all-these-years-interview-2018/ |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=Vice.com |date=October 17, 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>"Eric Moore of Suicidal Tendencies and T.R.A.M." Modern Drummer Magazine, May 8, 2020, {{cite web| url = https://www.moderndrummer.com/2012/03/eric-moore-of-suicidal-tendencies-and-t-r-a-m/.| title = Eric Moore of Suicidal Tendencies and T.R.A.M. {{!}} Modern Drummer Magazine| date = March 12, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/former-suicidal-tendencies-bassist-tim-rawbiz-williams-dies/|title=Ex-Suicidal Tendencies Bassist Tim 'Rawbiz' Williams Dies|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=August 27, 2014 }}</ref><ref>Quiñones, Ben. "East Los Lobos!" LA Weekly, May 24, 2019, {{cite web| url = https://www.laweekly.com/east-los-lobos/.| title = East Los Lobos! – LA Weekly| date = June 17, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ronald Bruner Jr. – DRUMMERWORLD |url=https://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Ronald_Bruner_Jr.html |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=www.drummerworld.com}}</ref> Other Latinos in early hardcore bands include Black Flag members [[Ron Reyes]], [[Dez Cadena]], [[Robo (musician)|Robo]], and Anthony Martinez,<ref>Cullen, Shaun. White Skin, Black Flag: Hardcore Punk, Racialization, and the Politics of Sound in Southern California. Wayne State University Press, April 3, 2017, {{cite journal| url = https://muse.jhu.edu/article/653038.| title = Project MUSE| journal = Criticism| year = 2016| volume = 58| issue = 1| pages = 59–85| last1 = Cullen| first1 = Shaun| doi = 10.13110/criticism.58.1.0059| s2cid = 157837607}}</ref><ref>LeBleau, Monique A. "Tommy 'Chiffon' Martinez: Punk Blood – Thicker than a Cold Shot." The LA Beat, September 25, 2018, {{cite web| url = https://www.thelosangelesbeat.com/2017/08/tommy-chiffon-martinez-punk-blood-thicker-than-a-cold-shot/.| title = Tommy "Chiffon" Martinez: Punk Blood – Thicker than a Cold Shot {{!}} The LA Beat| date = August 10, 2017}}</ref> [[Agnostic Front]] singer [[Roger Miret]], his brother [[Madball]] singer [[Freddy Cricien]], [[Adolescents (band)|Adolescents]] guitarist [[Steve Soto]], and [[Wasted Youth (American band)|Wasted Youth]] drummer [[Joey Castillo]].<ref>Maia, Felipe. "New York Hardcore Legend Roger Miret Shares His Cuban Immigration Story in New Memoir 'My Riot'." Remezcla, {{cite news| url = https://remezcla.com/features/music/roger-miret-my-riot-memoir/.| title = Roger Miret Shares His Cuban Immigration Story in New Memoir 'My Riot'| newspaper = Remezcla}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/madballs-freddy-cricien-talks-nyc-hardcore-cbgbs-was-our-shit-hole-6467365|title = Madball's Freddy Cricien Talks NYC Hardcore: "CBGB's Was Our Shit Hole"|date = July 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>Blistein, Jon. "Steve Soto, Adolescents Founder and Punk Veteran, Dead at 54." Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, July 1, 2018, {{cite magazine| url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/steve-soto-adolescents-founder-and-punk-veteran-dead-at-54-666954/.| title = Steve Soto, Adolescents Founder and Punk Veteran, Dead at 54 – Rolling Stone| magazine = [[Rolling Stone]]| date = June 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>Tatangelo, Wade. "Queens of the Stone Age Is the Alt-Metal Super Group." [[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]], March 14, 2003, www.heraldtribune.com/article/LK/20030314/News/605245591/SH.</ref> Soto would later form the all-Latino punk band [[Manic Hispanic]], which also featured [[Efrem Schulz]] from [[Death By Stereo]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ocmusicnews.com/steve-soto-tribute/|title = Steve Soto Tribute|date = August 19, 2020}}</ref> There are also notable women such as [[Crass]] singers [[Joy de Vivre]] and [[Eve Libertine]],<ref>Elizabeth. "The Women of Crass: Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre." Hear She Roars, February 1, 2019, {{cite web| url = https://www.hearsheroars.com/post/the-women-of-crass-eve-libertine-and-joy-de-vivre| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200922201020/https://www.hearsheroars.com/post/the-women-of-crass-eve-libertine-and-joy-de-vivre| url-status = dead| archive-date = September 22, 2020| title = Post {{!}} HEAR SHE ROARS}}</ref> Black Flag bassist [[Kira Roessler]],<ref>McPadden, Mike. "All About Her Bass: Top 10 Female Hard Rock + Heavy Metal Bassists." VH1 News, June 12, 2015, {{cite web| url = https://www.vh1.com/news/lzqk0w/female-hard-rock-heavy-metal-bassists| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220812082422/https://www.vh1.com/news/lzqk0w/female-hard-rock-heavy-metal-bassists| url-status = live| archive-date = August 12, 2022| title = vh1}}</ref> and [[Germs (band)|Germs]] bassist [[Lorna Doom]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-17 |title=Lorna Doom, bassist with cult Los Angeles punk band Germs, dies |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jan/17/lorna-doom-germs |access-date=2022-11-30 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

Several documentaries, including 2003's ''[[Afro-Punk (film)|Afro-Punk]]'' and 2016's ''Los Punks'', chronicle these subcultures within American punk and hardcore.<ref>Maloney, Devon. "Afropunk Started With a Documentary. Ten Years, Two Websites, and Eight Festivals Later..." The Village Voice, August 14, 2018, {{cite web| url = https://www.villagevoice.com/2013/08/21/afropunk-started-with-a-documentary-ten-years-two-websites-and-eight-festivals-later/.| title = Afropunk Started With a Documentary. Ten Years, Two Websites, and Eight Festivals Later... – The Village Voice| date = August 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>Cuevas, Steven. "Documentary Reveals L.A.'s Secretive Backyard Latino Punk Scene." KQED, June 11, 2016, {{cite web| url = https://www.kqed.org/news/10985167/documentary-reveals-l-a-s-secretive-backyard-latino-punk-scene.| title = Documentary Reveals L.A.'s Secretive Backyard Latino Punk Scene {{!}} KQED| date = June 11, 2016}}</ref>

As of 2019, the genre is still overwhelmingly represented by white males.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|last=Enis|first=Eli|date=December 9, 2019|title=Is Hardcore Punk's Current Boom at Odds With Its Outsider Ethos?|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8545789/hardcore-boom-popularity-2019|access-date=March 12, 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en|quote=many people took the genre's overwhelmingly white male makeup to task. However, while hardcore's violent live shows and majority masculine fanbase}}</ref> However, as sonic diversity has increased in the genre, so too has its fanbase.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Enis|first=Eli|date=December 9, 2019|title=Is Hardcore Punk's Current Boom at Odds With Its Outsider Ethos?|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8545789/hardcore-boom-popularity-2019|access-date=March 12, 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en|quote=This type of sonic and social inclusivity is in turn opening up hardcore to people of different identities and backgrounds.}}</ref> This has helped bring greater attention to inclusivity within the scene.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Enis|first=Eli|date=December 9, 2019|title=Is Hardcore Punk's Current Boom at Odds With Its Outsider Ethos?|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8545789/hardcore-boom-popularity-2019|access-date=March 12, 2021|magazine=Billboard|language=en|quote=However, while hardcore's violent live shows and majority masculine fanbase make it look unwelcoming on its surface, some of the scene's marginalized members think it's already more inclusive and diverse than it gets credit for.}}</ref>
Bands like [[War on Women (band)|War On Women]], [[Limp Wrist]], [[Gouge Away]], and [[G.L.O.S.S.]] have helped bring attention to subjects like women's rights, transphobia,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.autostraddle.com/not-as-weak-as-we-seem-how-g-l-o-s-s-gave-trans-women-our-voice-354361/|title = Not as Weak as We Seem: How Punk Band G.L.O.S.S. Gave Trans Women Our Voice|date = October 12, 2016}}</ref> rape,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/war-women-pissed-feminist-punk-band-aims-lasting-impact|title = War on Women: Pissed-Off Feminist Punk Band Aims for "Lasting Impact"| newspaper=Revolver |date = June 4, 2018}}</ref> mental health,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://musicandriots.com/this-is-a-band-that-refuses-to-be-ignored-our-interview-with-gouge-away/|title = This is a band that refuses to be ignored. Our interview with Christina Michelle of Gouge Away|date = December 17, 2018}}</ref> queer rights,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/queer-hardcore-punks-gloss-talk-origins-empowerment-their-first-big-tour|title=Queer Hardcore Punks G.L.O.S.S. Talk Origins, Empowerment, & Their First Big Tour|access-date=March 30, 2021|archive-date=March 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210329050728/https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/queer-hardcore-punks-gloss-talk-origins-empowerment-their-first-big-tour|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/queercore-veteran-scott-moore-on-how-gay-punk-has-changed/|title = Queercore Veteran Scott Moore on How Gay Punk Has Changed|website = [[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date = October 29, 2017}}</ref> and misogyny.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/war-women-hardcore-punk-feminism-511714|title = War on Women fuses feminism and hardcore punk|website = [[Newsweek]]|date = October 20, 2016}}</ref>

===Record labels===
{{See also|:Category:Hardcore record labels}}

Record labels in hardcore are often DIY endeavors, run by musicians or participants within the community. Largely inspired by early labels like [[Dischord Records]], [[Alternative Tentacles]], [[Epitaph Records]], [[SST Records]], [[Revelation Records]], and [[Touch & Go Records]], record labels are usually run on DIY ethic, collaboration, financial trust, and an emphasis on creative control.<ref>Segal, David (July 3, 1995). "The Dischord Label: The Perfect Pitch of Principles". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 8, 2019.</ref> Labels within hardcore are seldom large, profit-making operations, but rather collaborative music partners with the intent to document and release music for the underground community.

[[Ian Mackaye]], co-founder of [[Dischord Records]] claimed, "We don't use contracts, lawyers, any of those kinds of things. We are partners – they make the music, and we make the records. From the beginning of this label, people have said that the way we do things is unsustainable, unrealistic, idealistic, and we were just dreaming", he said. "Well, the dream is now 35 years old, so they can go fuck themselves."<ref>Bray, Ryan (May 2, 2016). "Buttholes and lawyers: How a lawsuit threatened the indie music model". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 26, 2020.</ref>